Chris Addison: The Time Is Now, Again, Hull & Wrexham

He may be best known for his recurring role as hapless/conniving political manchild Ollie in The Thick Of It, but in the last couple of years Chris Addison has been adding yet more strings to his bow. He's established himself as a twitchily energetic regular on Mock The Week and branched out into directing, popping behind the camera for the latest series of The Thick Of It as well as episodes of Armando Iannucci's similarly acclaimed HBO show Veep. All this frenetic activity might have resulted in Addison turning his back on the live arena (after all, if you're used to calling the shots on US TV, it's surely hard to feel the same excitement about provincial arts centres), but he's still showing plenty of commitment to the medium that first made his name. These are some of the final dates for his latest touring show, an artful work featuring plenty of his characteristic theorising-with-gags, as well as some heartfelt attacks on the realities of life under the coalition.

Hull Truck Theatre, Sat; Glyndwr University, Wrexham, Sun

Russell Peters: Notorious World Tour, On tour

This Canadian comic doesn't have a stack of hit movie credits or a successful TV series behind him. But, despite a relatively low public profile, he's filling big venues all over the world: in 2010 he sold out London's O2 Arena, making him easily the biggest comic that most people have never heard of. Watch him, and you'll quickly understand his mass appeal. There's nothing mould-breaking or avant garde about the Peters schtick; he offers an ultra-perfected version of a classic comedy trope: making fun of foreigners. But rather than old-fashioned witless xenophobia, his material is rooted in keen observational humour, which swaps hackneyed cliche for fresh insights. Born into an Anglo-Indian family and raised in cosmopolitan Toronto, Peters's comedy reflects the melting pot of the modern world rather than pandering to prejudices; but he's certainly not so right-on as to eschew the odd scathing gag.

LG Arena, Birmingham, Sun; The O2, SE10, Tue; Manchester Arena, Thu

Andrew O'Neill Is Easily Distracted, Guildford

Those worried that comedy clubs can be rather boorish, excessively macho places should take heart from the existence of Andrew O'Neill, a performer likely to leave the beer boys scratching their heads in befuddlement. O'Neill's a self-described vegan transvestite heavy metal fan and amateur occultist, and his comedy is as challenging as his identity politics. He takes a wildly diverse range of influences, channels them through his own unique mindset and spits them out again in a dizzying range of directions. He'll flick from surreal, dream-like sketches into snatches of song, then embark on an angry ideological diatribe (often all within the space of a couple of minutes). What makes it all hang together is a delightfully mischievous sense of humour, allied to a burning passion to inform and entertain. There's nothing fake about Andrew O'Neill, and no half measures, either. In a world of eager-to-please clones, it's a pleasure to salute a true original.